人教版英语选修第四册 Unit 1 Reading and Writing

JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH

地心游记

At first I could hardly see anything.

起初，我几乎什么都看不见。

After so long descending deep into the earth through dark, narrow caves, my eyes were not used to the light.

在黑暗狭窄的洞穴中向地下深处下行许久之后，我的眼睛还没有适应光亮。

But when I could focus again, I stood amazed.

但当我的视线再次清晰时，我惊愕地伫立在原地。

“It’s a … sea!” I cried.

“这是一片……大海！”我大叫道。

“Yes,” my uncle replied, “and I shall give it my name, as it was discovered by me!”

“没错，”叔叔答道，“既然是我发现的，我就要用我的名字给它命名！”

A vast lake or even an ocean, spread far beyond where the eye could see.

一片巨大的湖泊，甚至可以说是海洋，一望无际。

The shore was lined with shining sand, and was being softly lapped by waves.

岸边铺满闪闪发光的沙子，海浪轻轻拍打着海岸。

It was covered with small shells which were once inhabited by the first living beings.

地上遍布小小的贝壳，这里曾经栖息着地球上最早的生命。

Around this sea stood a huge rock wall that was being worn away by the endless action of the waves.

大海四周矗立着巨大的岩壁，在海浪无休止的冲刷下不断被侵蚀。

I could see far over this great sea because it was being lit up by a strange light.

一道奇异的光芒照亮这片浩瀚大海，我可以眺望远方。

Not sunlight, of course, as we were deep below the surface.

当然，这并不是太阳光，因为我们身处地表之下很深的地方。

No; with its bright, clear whiteness, the light must have been electric.

不是，这光亮洁白耀眼，一定是电光。

Under the “sky”, if it could be called so, being made of rock, were also vast clouds.

头顶这片由岩石构成的“天空”（姑且这么称呼）之下，还有大片的云。

They were being illuminated by this light, but the light gave no heat, so the place felt rather gloomy.

它们被这道光芒照亮，但是这光并不产生热量，所以这里显得十分阴沉。

Here we were, shut up inside a cave of a size that could not be estimated. It must have been several miles high.

我们被困在一个无法估量大小的洞穴之中。它的高度想必有好几英里。

Human words cannot describe the discoveries of those who have been deep into the earth.

人类的语言无法描述深入地底之人所见的奇观。

My imagination was powerless before such wonders.

面对这般奇景，我的想象力都显得苍白无力。

I felt like I was on some distant planet, and was both amazed and rather scared.

我仿佛置身于某个遥远星球，既惊叹不已，又心怀恐惧。

However, I was energised by the breezy salty air supplying more oxygen to my lungs.

然而，带着咸味的微风为我的肺部输送更多氧气，让我精神振奋。

After many days in much narrower spaces, it was a great relief.

在狭窄空间度过许多天之后，这让我如释重负。

“Ready to walk a little now?” asked my uncle.

“现在准备好走一走了吗？”叔叔问道。

“Yes, certainly.”

“嗯，当然。”

“Well, let us follow the shore then,” he said, and we began to explore.

“那好，我们就沿着海岸走吧。”他说道，于是我们开始四处探查。

Soon in front of us appeared a tall, dense forest, composed of trees formed like umbrellas.

很快，我们眼前出现一片高大茂密的树林，树木长得如同一把把巨伞。

“Mushrooms!” said my uncle.

“是蘑菇！”叔叔说道。

And he was right! There were mushrooms in their thousands, and each at least thirty feet high.

他说得没错！成千上万的蘑菇，每一株至少三十英尺高。

“Wonderful!” cried my uncle. “A botanist never had such a feast as this! Now look under your feet.”

“太奇妙了！”叔叔高呼，“没有哪个植物学家能见到这般盛况！看看你的脚下。”

“Oh yes!” I exclaimed.

“噢，天啊！”我惊呼一声。

I hadn’t noticed the many bones, which were being crushed under our feet as we walked.

我之前没有注意到遍地骸骨，我们行走时骨头在脚下被踩得咯吱作响。

Suddenly I thought, if once these monsters lived here, might some still roam through these gloomy forests?

我突然想到，倘若这些怪兽曾经生活在这里，会不会还有一些仍在这片阴森的森林中游荡？

I anxiously surveyed the landscape, but we were the only living creatures in this subterranean world. Thankfully!

我紧张地环顾四周，但在这个地下世界里，只有我们两个活物。真是谢天谢地！

Eventually we returned to the cave we had entered from, and I fell asleep with strange thoughts.

最后，我们回到进来时的洞穴，怀着各种离奇的思绪沉沉睡去。

Where did this underground sea end? Where did it lead to?

这片地下大海的尽头在哪里？它又通向何方？

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